No progress in efforts to resolve question of Kalasa-Banduri Nala

No progress in efforts to resolve question of Kalasa-Banduri Nala
The Hindu

HUBLI: For those who expected a breakthrough in the impasse over the execution of the twin diversion projects of Kalasa-Banduri Nala for meeting drinking water requirement, the outcome of consultations between an all-party delegation and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday was a disappointment.

The visit by the delegation to New Delhi was not exclusively for discussing the Kalasa-Banduri Nala projects, as was the impression given by Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh to agitators in Bombay Karnataka.

The floods in the State and the Central assistance sought for providing relief to the affected justifiably dominated the nearly 15-minute meeting. The Kalasa-Banduri Nala issue was relegated, with the directive given by the Union Ministry of Water Resources to reduce the water level in Alamatti Dam "at the behest of the Maharashtra" coming up as the second subject of discussion.

In-principle clearance

The Union Ministry of Water Resources first gave an "in principle" clearance for the execution of the projects for the diversion of 7.54 tmcft of water from Kalasa and Banduri nalas, two tributaries of the west-flowing Mahadayi river, to the Malaprabha Reservoir for meeting the drinking water requirement of villages and Hubli-Dharwad.

The Union Government, reportedly at the behest of the Goa Government, issued an order "keeping in abeyance the clearance." This happened during the days of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, and the United Progressive Alliance Government has been found to be in no way different.

When the Chief Minister promised to lead a delegation to the Prime Minister in this connection sometime ago, the plan was to seek his intervention to end the uncertainty, since the delay in getting clearance was making people in the command areas of the Malaprabha project in the northern Karnataka region restive.

According to members of the delegation, including Prahlad Joshi, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Dharwad North, Mr. Manmohan Singh took the stand that it was not his government but that of the NDA that stayed the "in principle" clearance. He told the delegation he would talk to the Minister concerned, Mr. Joshi told this correspondent.